Chapter 196
AN ACT AMENDING CONTRACT PROCEDURES IN THE CITY OF BOSTON.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 6 of chapter 418 of the acts of 1890 is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence, as most recently amended by section 1 of chapter 262 of the acts of 1998, and inserting in place thereof the following 2 sentences:- All contracts made by any department of the city of Boston or by any officer, board or official of the county of Suffolk having power to incur obligations on behalf of said county in cases in which such obligations are to be paid for wholly from the treasury of the city, shall, if the amount involved amounts to or exceeds the threshold amount for purchases requiring competitive, sealed bids or proposals under chapter 30B of the General Laws or if the contract is subject to section 30 of chapter 486 of the acts of 1909, be reduced to writing. No such contract shall be deemed to have been made or executed until the approval of the mayor of the city has been affixed thereto in writing and the auditor of the city has certified thereon that an appropriation is available therefor or has cited thereon the statute under authority of which the contract is being executed without an appropriation.

SECTION 2. Chapter 486 of the acts of 1909 is hereby amended by striking out section 30, as most recently amended by section 2 of chapter 373 of the acts of 1992, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 30. Every officer or board in charge of a department in the city of Boston and every officer, board or official of the county of Suffolk having power to incur obligations on behalf of said county in cases in which such obligations are to be paid for wholly from the treasury of the city shall: (i), if authorized to erect a new building or to make structural changes in an existing building, make not more than 5 contracts therefor, each such contract subject to the approval of the mayor; and (ii), if about to do any work or make any purchase, the estimated cost of which, alone or in conjunction with other similar work or purchase may properly be included in that same contract, amounts to or exceeds the threshold amount for a purchase requiring competitive, sealed bids or proposals under chapter 30B of the General Laws, invite solicitations therefor by advertisements in the City Record unless the mayor gives written authority to do otherwise. Such advertisement shall state the time and place for opening solicitations in answer to the advertisement and shall reserve the right of such officer or board to reject any solicitation. No authority to dispense with advertising shall be granted by the mayor unless such officer or board furnishes the mayor with a signed statement. Such statement shall provide, in detail, the reasons for not inviting solicitations by advertisement and shall be published in the City Record.